MG 4 XPower long term test: report 2

The car MG 4 XPower| Run by Claire Evans, consumer editor

Why it's here To find out what it’s like to live with a fast and practical pure electric car that costs less than many petrol or diesel-engined rivals 

Needs to Be a comfortable, frugal and easy-to-charge commuter car Monday to Friday, and something to raise a smile and enjoy driving at the weekend

Mileage 5409 List price £36,495 Target Price £36,134 Price as tested £37,295 Official range 239 miles Test range 178 miles Options Racing Green paint (£800)

17 January 2024 – Cold-weather friend

As the weather turns wintery, electric vehicle (EV) owners might start to have concerns about the practicalities of living with an EV in the coldest weather. However, in most respects my MG 4 XPower has proved a great cold-weather friend.

True, it doesn’t come with an app that enables you to demist and pre-heat the car before you get in it, but the windscreen clearing and warming up functions work so well that I’ve not felt hard done by. 

Even if there’s a thick frost on the windscreen the quick-clear function melts it in two minutes flat. At the same time, the air conditioning turns the interior totally tropical and the driver’s seat and steering wheel heat up. Having those last two bits of kit enables me to minimise use of the climate control because I can switch it to the eco setting fairly quickly. 

Usefully, too, if the climate control menu was the last thing you used on the touchscreen before leaving the car, that’s what will come up on the display the next time you get in. 

There’s only one downside with UK versions of the MG 4: they don’t come with a heat pump as standard. This means there’s nothing to mitigate the loss in range the car suffers in cold weather. My car’s range drops from around 210 real-world miles to just 165 in sub-zero conditions. 

This has meant I’ve had to make brief pit stops at public EV charging points on the way home from some more distant destinations. The disruption has been minimal when I’ve been able to find an ultra-rapid charger, though, because the MG 4’s 120kWh maximum charging speed means I can boost the batteries from 20% to 60% in 15 minutes.

Talking of charging, the MG4 is highly compatible with my MyEnergi Zappi home charger, seamlessly starting charging via the timer to make the most of my cheap overnight tariff. It’s a big improvement on some of my previous EVs, which haven’t communicated with the wall-mounted unit, meaning I’ve had to nip outside late at night to start charging.

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